politics and government

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that Congress "shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech or of the press." But what does that mean? In this easy-to-understand book, readers will learn more about the background and history of the First Amendment and its promises, including freedom of speech. They'll learn what that means-and doesn't mean-and more about common misconceptions about this important right. Accessible text dealing with real-life situations and graphics further explaining the details will draw in anyone interested in knowing about basic American rights.

Readers learn about the history and modern implications of the Second Amendment.

"You won the election--now what? Activist organizing meets government gridlock as a millennial New Yorker cartoonist follows a first-year senator on her unforgettable journey--from outsider to insider"--Provided by publisher.

"Magic wants to be president of the United States one day, but he does not understand the three branches of government. In Mr. Gray's class, Magic and his buddies Rex and Reva use a tree branch as a wand to zap them all to Washington, D.C. They peek at the people working in Congress, at the Federal Court, and in the White House, and learn about the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government"--Provided by publisher.

Senator Frank Church of Idaho was an unlikely hero. He led congressional opposition to the Vietnam War and had become a scathing, radical critic of what he saw as American imperialism around the world. But he was still politically ambitious, privately yearning for acceptance from the foreign policy establishment that he hated and eager to run for president. Despite his flaws, Church would show historic strength in his greatest moment, when in the wake of Watergate, he was suddenly tasked with investigating abuses of power in the intelligence community. The dark truths that Church exposed--from assassination plots by the CIA, to links between the Kennedy dynasty and the mafia, to the surveillance of civil rights activists by the NSA and FBI--would shake the nation to its core, and forever change the way that Americans thought about not only their government but also their ability to hold it accountable. Drawing upon hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of recently declassified documents, and reams of unpublished letters, notes, and memoirs, some of which remain sensitive today, James Risen tells the gripping, untold story of truth and integrity standing against unchecked power--and winning--in this book --.

"Joshua Rubenstein's riveting account takes us back to the second half of 1952 when no one could foresee an end to Joseph Stalin's murderous regime. He was poised to challenge the newly elected U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower with armed force, and was also broadening a vicious campaign against Soviet Jews. Stalin's sudden collapse and death in March 1953 was as dramatic and mysterious as his life. It is no overstatement to say that his passing marked a major turning point in the twentieth century. The Last Days of Stalin is an engaging, briskly told account of the dictator's final active months, the vigil at his deathbed, and the unfolding of Soviet and international events in the months after his death. Rubenstein throws fresh light on: the devious plotting of Beria, Malenkov, Khrushchev, and other 'comrades in arms' who well understood the significance of the dictator's impending death; the witness-documented events of his death as compared to official published versions; Stalin's rumored plans to forcibly exile Soviet Jews; the responses of Eisenhower and Secretary of State Dulles to the Kremlin's conciliatory gestures after Stalin's death; and the momentous repercussions when Stalin's regime of terror was cut short"--.

Presents the biographies of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, including their duel, childhoods, service in the American Revolution, and political careers.

"An exploration of President Nixon's contentious time in office, the Watergate scandal, and the people who helped protect our Constitution"--Provided by publisher.

"Since the civil war in Syria began in 2011, over 500,000 civilians have been killed and more than 12 million Syrians have been displaced. Rania Abouzeid, one of the foremost journalists on the topic, follows two pairs of sisters from opposite sides of the conflict to give readers a firsthand glimpse of the turmoil and devastation this strife has wrought. Sunni Muslim Ruha and her younger sister Alaa withstand constant attacks by the Syrian government in rebel-held territory. Alawite sisters Hanin and Jawa try to carry on as normal in the police state of regime-held Syria.The girls grow up in a world where nightly bombings are routine and shrapnel counts as toys. They bear witness to arrests, killings, demolished homes, and further atrocities most adults could not imagine. Still, war does not dampen their sense of hope. Through the stories of Ruha and Alaa and Hanin and Jawa, Abouzeid presents a clear-eyed and page-turning account of the complex conditions in Syria leading to the onset of the harrowing conflict"--Provided by publisher.

This title examines the life of Vladimir Putin including his early life and education, his career as an intelligence officer in the Soviet Union's security agency, and his terms as prime minister and president of the Russian Federation.